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    Original Research Papers

    What have we learned from intensive atmospheric sampling field programmes of CO2?

    Authors:

    J. C. Lin ,

    Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, 1371 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1371, US; Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W.,Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, CA
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    C. Gerbig,

    Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie, Hans-Knoell-Str. 10, D-07745 Jena, DE
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    S. C. Wofsy,

    Department of Earth & Planetary Science and, Division of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, US
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    B. C. Daube,

    Department of Earth & Planetary Science and, Division of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, US
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    D. M. Matross,

    Department of Earth & Planetary Science and, Division of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, US
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    V. Y. Chow,

    Department of Earth & Planetary Science and, Division of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, US
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    E. Gottlieb,

    Department of Earth & Planetary Science and, Division of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, US
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    A. E. Andrews,

    Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305-3328, US
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    M. Pathmathevan,

    Department of Earth & Planetary Science and, Division of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, US
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    J. W. Munger

    Department of Earth & Planetary Science and, Division of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 20 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, US
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    Abstract

    The spatial and temporal gradients in atmospheric CO2 contain signatures of carbon fluxes, and as part of inverse studies, these signatures have been combined with atmospheric models to infer carbon sources and sinks. However, such studies have yet to yield finer-scale, regional fluxes over the continent that can be linked to ecosystem processes and ground-based observations. The reasons for this gap are twofold: lack of atmospheric observations over the continent and model deficiencies in interpreting such observations.

    This paper describes a series of intensive atmospheric sampling field programmes designed as pilot experiments to bridge the observational gap over the continent and to help test and develop models to interpret these observations. We summarize recent results emerging from this work, outlining the role of the intensive atmospheric programmes in collecting CO2 data in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions. These data: (1) quantitatively establish the spatial variability of CO2 and the associated errors from neglecting this variability in models; (2) directly measure regional carbon fluxes from airmass-following experiments and (3) challenge models to reduce and account for uncertainties in atmospheric transport. We conclude with a look towards the future, outlining ways in which intensive atmospheric sampling can contribute towards advancing carbon science.

    How to Cite: Lin, J.C., Gerbig, C., Wofsy, S.C., Daube, B.C., Matross, D.M., Chow, V.Y., Gottlieb, E., Andrews, A.E., Pathmathevan, M. and Munger, J.W., 2006. What have we learned from intensive atmospheric sampling field programmes of CO2?. Tellus B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology, 58(5), pp.331–343. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0889.2006.00202.x
      Published on 01 Jan 2006
    Peer Reviewed
     CC BY 4.0
     Accepted on 2 Jun 2006            Submitted on 24 Nov 2005

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